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Arthur Miller
' Arthur Asher Miller' (October 17, 1915 – February 10, 2005) was a prolific American playwright, essayist, and prominent figure in twentieth-century American theatre. Among his most popular plays are All My Sons (1947),Death of a Salesman (1949), The Crucible (1953) and A View from the Bridge (1955, revised 1956). He also wrote the several screenplays and was most noted for his work on The Misfits (1961). The drama Death of a Salesman ''is often numbered on the short list of being among the finest American plays in the 20th century alongside ''Long Day's Journey into Night and A Streetcar Named Desire. Miller was often in the public eye, particularly during the late 1940s, 1950s and early 1960s. During this time, he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama; testified before the House Un-American Activities Committee; and was married to Marilyn Monroe. Tossup Questions # The set of one play by this author consists of a lone chair in front of a guard tower in a concentration camp, to show that the play takes place in Quentin's head. A fight between Rodolpho and Eddie Carbone ends another play by this author. The title character experiences hallucinations in which he speaks to a diamond tycoon, his older brother Ben, in a better known work by this author of After the Fall and A View from the Bridge. That play sees Howard Wagner fire the father of Biff and Happy, who proceeds to commit suicide so his family can start a new life with his insurance money. For 10 points, name this American playwright of Death of a Salesman. # One of this author's plays features a scene in which one character is challenged to lift a chair over his head; that character fails, but Marco succeeds. In that play by this man, the discovery that Rodolfo is romantically involved with Catherine angers the protagonist, an Italian-American longshoreman. In another of his plays, a storm blows over a tree memorializing Larry, who died in World War II due to faulty (*) airplane parts manufactured by his father Joe Keller. Thomas Putnam is accused of "reaching for land" by Giles Corey in a play by this man in which Abigail Williams and the slave Tituba are accused of witchcraft. For 10 points, name this playwright of A View From the Bridge, All My Sons, and The Crucible. # Leduc escapes execution by the Nazis by using a white pass in this author's Incident at Vichy, and one of his plays sees the protagonist commit suicide the day before his house's mortgage is paid off. Joe Keller causes the death of twenty one pilots by shipping defective parts in this author's All My Sons, and Giles Corey calls for "more weight" in another of his plays. Tituba and John Proctor are accused of witchcraft in that play, and in another work Biff refuses to attend summer school after learning of his father Willy Loman's affair with another woman. For 10 points, name this American playwright of The Crucible and Death of a Salesman. # This author wrote a work in which the Detroit Tigers scout Augie Belfast watches a baseball game to see if Amos is worth signing, but decides against it in a sequence which also sees the main character invest in a mink farm. In another work by this author, Beatrice discusses catching sardines in the ocean and painting oranges. Dan Dibble somehow kills Mr. Falk in an auto accident which leaves Hester free to marry David Beeves in this man's play, (*) The Man Who Had All the Luck, and he wrote a work in which Alfieri suggests informing the government about the illegal immigrants Marco and Rodolpho; Catherine's engagement in that play angers her uncle, Eddie Carbone. This author wrote about Biff who is expected to start a business after a suicidal car crash ends the life of Willy Loman. For 10 points, name this author of A View from the Bridge and Death of a Salesman. # This playwright portrayed a hardworking, sharp, and earnest car mechanic who finds that all of his life's obstacles are overcome due to almost supernatural good fortune. That man was David Beaves, featured in his debut play The Man Who Had All the Luck. A manager of an aircraft factory who killed 21 pilots by authorizing the shipment of defective airplane cylinder heads during World War II, Joe Keller, experiences a tragic fall in a later play by this playwright, All My Sons. Known also for creating such characters as Abigail Williams, John Proctor, and Willy Loman, for 10 points, name this American playwright of The Crucible and Death of a Salesman.